All Models Are Wrong

Latest Episodes:

Day trading our way to the revolution feat. Jaynemesis Jan 31, 2021

Show notes

For this week's interview I spoke with Jay Smith (@jaynemesis) one of the top earning traders on eToro, a social trading platform where people can “copy” the trades of traders and a percentage of the money they earn goes to them. What’s interesting about Jay is that while doing this he’s also openly left wing as he’s a Green Party voter in the UK, a social democrat, a vegan, and owes a bit of his success to trading cryptocurrencies since 2013.

During the interview we spoke about how he became a trader given his political beliefs and working class background, his thoughts on how the cryptocurrency space has evolved since he first started trading them, and whether there is anything that he thinks the left can learn from his experience.

I feel like I don’t even have to tell you all what’s going since you probably all know, but it looks like people across the political spectrum are banding together to buy GameStop stock to make a hedge fund go bankrupt as revenge for the financial crash of 2008. Unfortunately the interview was recorded before all the craziness started so I didn’t get to ask Jay’s thoughts, but you can find some his thoughts on his twitter here.

If you’re joining in on the fun, keep in mind what’s going on is not some sort of revolution and is largely a battle between different segments of the bourgeoisie with some lucky working class people sprinkled throughout. However, if you really believe that buying stock in GameStop, AMC, etc. is some sort of signal for the distaste of Wall Street, then you can’t say that buying cryptocurrencies isn’t either. (Not investment advice.)
If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you want to see more content like this, please consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. At the moment I’ve spent more on this project than I’ve ever made so any amount helps. Also, sign up for the Newsletter, follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist), and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit to continue the discussion and give your thoughts.

Support the show

Subscribe on Substack - https://allmodelsarewrong.online/

Buy my book - https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals

Get full access to All Models Are Wrong at allmodelsarewrong.online/subscribe

Teaser - Q&A: A cryptoleftist take on the STABLE Act Jan 24, 2021

Show notes

This is a teaser for the third episode in the patreon exclusive Q&A series where I talk about my thoughts on the STABLE Act, which has become infamous in the crypto world, and how I think the cryptoleftist movement should understand and view it. If you don't know, the Stablecoin Tethering and Bank Licensing Enforcement (STABLE) Act, proposed by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), requires stablecoin-issuing companies to obtain a banking charter and follow "appropriate" banking regulations in their jurisdiction. It also requires them to maintain reserves, equivalent to the dollar amount of their stablecoin issues, at the Federal Reserve and undergo regular audits to ensure compliance. Keep in mind that this bill has not been passed and is not likely to pass in the very near term, but unsurprisingly, this has caused a lot of ire from the crypto community, especially the anti-state libertarians.

During the interview I focus on things said by Rohan Grey who is an aide in Tlaib's office that helped draft the bill and three of the main arguments I've seen circulating against the STABLE Act. Based on that I line out what I think the appropriate cryptoleftist take on the legislation should be. Spoiler alert: don't trust criticisms being hurled by people you are not politically aligned with.

Sources

Bankless Interview with Rohan

Old video of Rohan that I think is interesting

Coindesk article with many of the arguments I look in the episode

Thanks again for all your support! As you can maybe tell, my audio is a bit better in this episode because I got a new microphone thanks to your patronage :)

Get the full version on Patreon.
If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you want to see more content like this, please consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. At the moment I’ve spent more on this project than I’ve ever made so any amount helps. Also, sign up for the Newsletter, follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist), and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit to continue the discussion and give your thoughts.

Support the show

Subscribe on Substack - https://allmodelsarewrong.online/

Buy my book - https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals

Get full access to All Models Are Wrong at allmodelsarewrong.online/subscribe

Recognizing value in open source communities with SourceCred feat. Dandelion Mané Jan 16, 2021

Show notes

For this episode I interview Dandelion Mané (@decentralion) and talk about their work on SourceCred (@sourcecred), a tool for communities to measure and reward value creation, which they founded. As the name suggests, Cred is the core idea of SourceCred. Cred is a score which is earned by making contributions to a project. A participant's score reflects how valuable their contributions were to the project. Participants are then rewarded with digital currency, or "Grain", based on their Cred. Cred is non-transferable, retroactive, transparent, and community-specific.
During the interview we talk about the issues that open source communities face to become sustainable without corporate cooptation, how SourceCred can help with this problem by providing a democratic way for rewarding contributors, and why Dandelion identifies as a post-capitalist.
More on SourceCred
SourceCred Intro Video
Get Involved with SourceCred
How to Setup a SourceCred Instance
SourceCred Github
If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you want to see more content like this, please consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. At the moment I’ve spent more on this project than I’ve ever made so any amount helps. Also, sign up for the Newsletter, follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist), and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit to continue the discussion and give your thoughts.

Support the show

Subscribe on Substack - https://allmodelsarewrong.online/

Buy my book - https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals

Get full access to All Models Are Wrong at allmodelsarewrong.online/subscribe

Avoiding co-optation of the commons under capitalism Jan 10, 2021

Show notes

For this interview I sat down with Hannes Gerhardt, professor of Human Geography at the University of West Georgia and author of a recent piece in ROAR Magazine titled, Blockchains: Building blocks for a postcapitalist future? . He has published on a wide range of political and economic issues and is currently working on a book exploring pathways to establishing non-capitalist forms of economic production.
During the interview we talk about how his research interests in human geography and post-capitalism relates to blockchain, some of his ideas in his article in Roar about "re-valuing and de-fetishizing", and his advice for commons projects to avoid co-optation by capitalists.
If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you want to see more content like this, please consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. At the moment I’ve spent more on this project than I’ve ever made so any amount helps. Also, sign up for the Newsletter, follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist), and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit to continue the discussion and give your thoughts.

Support the show

Subscribe on Substack - https://allmodelsarewrong.online/

Buy my book - https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals

Get full access to All Models Are Wrong at allmodelsarewrong.online/subscribe

Designing post-capitalism with the Economic Space Agency feat. Akseli Virtanen Jan 03, 2021

Show notes

For this week's podcast I spoke to Akseli Virtanen (@econaut6), one of the founders of the Economic Space Agency (@ecospaceagency) (ECSA), an organization for exploring protocols for post-capitalist economic expression. Akseli previously founded the Robin Hood Cooperative Hedge Fund and has been referred as The Andy Warhol of Finance.
During the interview we talk about how ECSA is exploring the creation of post-capitalist economic media through the creation of a new "economic grammar", how the Left can co-opt financial jargon to imagine a post-capitalist future (like social derivatives), and the irony of using the work of Friedrich Hayek on economic calculation to show that capitalism sucks. If you're a leftist interested in the blockchain space, it's absolutely imperative that you keep up with the work of ECSA.
Learn more about ECSA
ECSA Website
Akseli's blog
Economic Grammar
Economic Media
Transcending Hayek and his digital disciples (article)
Transcending Hayek and his digital disciples (podcast)
New Renaissance
Learn more about Robin Hood
Democratizing the Power of Finance
Financial Platforms for the Future
Equity, Options, Assemblage

If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you want to see more content like this, please consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. At the moment I’ve spent more on this project than I’ve ever made so any amount helps. Also, sign up for the Newsletter, follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist), and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit to continue the discussion and give your thoughts.

Support the show

Subscribe on Substack - https://allmodelsarewrong.online/

Buy my book - https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals

Get full access to All Models Are Wrong at allmodelsarewrong.online/subscribe

Teaser - Q&A: Socialism with markets or planning using blockchain? Dec 20, 2020

Show notes

This is a teaser of the second episode of the patreon exclusive Q&A series where I talk about the question asked by JB on the differences between socialism based on markets versus planning and how blockchain can influence that conversation. Get the full version on Patreon.

Support the show

Subscribe on Substack - https://allmodelsarewrong.online/

Buy my book - https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals

Get full access to All Models Are Wrong at allmodelsarewrong.online/subscribe

GCAS: The Cooperatively owned College on the Blockchain feat. Creston Davis Dec 12, 2020

Show notes

This week I spoke to Creston Davis, founder of the Global Center of Advanced Studies (@GCASCollege), the first cooperatively run college using their own ethereum-enabled token (called GCASY) that represents shares in the college that can be used for paying for tuition and other expenses. Many well-known academics are a part of GCAS, including Alain Badiou and they've hosted seminars from the likes of Noam Chomsky, Richard Wolff, and Chris Hedges.
During the interview we talk about how a conversation with Slavoj Zizek motivated Creston to start the "modern day Frankfurt School" that doesn't require students to go into debt, what it's like to be a student at the school (they offer bachelors, masters, and PhD degrees), and how GCAS's progressive model can reproduce itself in other ways similar to how universities in the age of neoliberalism have socially reproduced themselves into the economy.
Sources
GCAS College Dublin
GCAS Latinoamérica
GCAS Crypto Hub
GCAS E-School
If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you want to see more content like this, please consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. At the moment I’ve spent more on this project than I’ve ever made so any amount helps. Also, sign up for the Newsletter, follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist), and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit to continue the discussion and give your thoughts.

Support the show

Subscribe on Substack - https://allmodelsarewrong.online/

Buy my book - https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals

Get full access to All Models Are Wrong at allmodelsarewrong.online/subscribe

Enabling Blockchain to Fight against Imperialism in the Caribbean feat. Stefen Deleveaux Dec 06, 2020

Show notes

This week I spoke with Stefen Deleveaux (@stefdelev), the president of the Caribbean Blockchain Alliance (CBA). The CBA is an organization that advocates for the use of blockchain in Caribbean, educates developers , and collaborates with regulators to create regulatory frameworks in the region. One of the purposes of the organization is to help create a more coherent Caribbean alliance based on solidarity help protect the interests of the region.
During the interview we spoke about the history of colonialism and imperialism in the Caribbean, how it has influenced the current situation (e.g., dependence on wealthy tourists, lack of industry, EU black lists, etc.), and how Stefen believes blockchain could be used to enable vast improvements in living conditions in the region for working people and public services. We also discuss a bit about the Sand Dollar, which is the Central Bank Digital Currency that the Bahamian Central Bank recently released this year.
Learn more about some of the ways how the US and Europe keep the Caribbean underdeveloped from one of the Caribbean's top economists here.
Donate to support the CBA here:
BTC: 1MSaYj6AaamEnYEdNmzbgQeszS1srdxHN

ETH: 0x72944A176997207740f7da5D3c1DFd938e9c772e

You can find official addresses at the the bottom of their site as well if you want to double check.
If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you want to see more content like this, please consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. At the moment I’ve spent more on this 9-month old project than I’ve ever made so any amount helps. Also, sign up for the Newsletter, follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist), and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit to continue the discussion and give your thoughts.

Support the show

Subscribe on Substack - https://allmodelsarewrong.online/

Buy my book - https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals

Get full access to All Models Are Wrong at allmodelsarewrong.online/subscribe

Technical Analysis is Just Horoscopes for Chart People feat. Andrew Ancheta Nov 29, 2020

Show notes

This week I interviewed Andrew Ancheta (@TrampAbroad1), a freelance journalist who previously wrote for crypto publications, but most recently wrote an article in the leftwing journal Current Affairs called The Crypto Casino. It's a great article, and I don't say that just because I'm featured in it :). The article is in the currently most recent issue of Current Affairs (Issue 27, September-October 2020) so be sure to check it out. You can purchase the issue here.
During the interview we talk about his experience in working in crypto media during the ICO boom, what it was like to now write an article about crypto from a leftist perspective, and how technical analysis is essentially horoscopes for people into charts. We're not all doom and gloom about the crypto space however and talk about some of the things that Andrew is most excited about, like DAOs.
If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you want to see more content like this, please consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. At the moment I’ve spent more on this 9-month old project than I’ve ever made so any amount helps. Also, sign up for the Newsletter, follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist), and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit to continue the discussion and give your thoughts.

Support the show

Subscribe on Substack - https://allmodelsarewrong.online/

Buy my book - https://linktr.ee/blockchainradicals

Get full access to All Models Are Wrong at allmodelsarewrong.online/subscribe

What Cooperatives and Blockchain Can Learn From Each Other feat. Morshed Mannan Nov 22, 2020

Show notes

This week I spoke with Morshed Mannan (@MannanMorshed), a PhD candidate at Leiden Law School in The Netherlands and Research Fellow at the Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy at The New School. His research interest in cooperatives and digital technologies eventually led him to blockchain and he's produced some really interesting research and seminars on its intersection.
During the interview we discuss his previously published research about the differences between trust and confidence on the blockchain and link that to his work about cooperatives, we revisit two projects that were on the podcast previously (Eva Coop and Colony), and discuss how blockchain and coops have similar properties while also having a lot to learn from one another. At some point we also agree that cooperatives may be a good way to take entrepreneurship away from the right wing.
Sources:

If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you want to see more content like this, please consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. At the moment I’ve spent more on this 9-month old project than I’ve ever made so any amount helps. Also, sign up for the Newsletter, follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist), and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit to continue the discussion and give your thoughts.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected